Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
The New York Knicks had the opportunity to earn a fourth straight win on Monday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but they fell short with a 140-134 loss at Madison Square Garden.
However, New York’s loss was not because of a lack of effort from star power forward Julius Randle, who exploded for a career-high 57 points in the loss. He shot 19-of-29 from the field and 8-of-14 from three-point range on his way to tying the third-highest point total in franchise history.
While Randle had some help from Jalen Brunson (23 points, 10 assists) and Immanuel Quickley (19 points off the bench), the Knicks were doomed by their defense. The Timberwolves were incredibly efficient, shooting 61.4 percent from the field and 58.3 percent (14-of-24) from beyond the arc.
However, it was Randle who captivated NBA Twitter with his incredible outing on Monday:
With nine games left in the season, the Knicks don’t have much time to climb the standings in the Eastern Conference. Wasting an all-time performance from Randle can’t sit well with New York as the playoffs approach.
The Knicks (42-31) will look to bounce back when they visit the Miami Heat (39-34) on Wednesday.
LeBron James has still got it.James closed out the Los Angeles Lakers' final regular-season "road" game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Crypto.com arena
1st Quarter Report Only three more quarters stand between the Magic and the win they were favored to coll
Jamal Murray will take the court for the Denver Nuggets on Thursday at 10:00 PM ET, versus the Miami Heat.Watch the NBA, other live sports and more on Fubo! Use
The opportunities to get back in the playoff race are getting smaller and smaller. The Brooklyn Nets face the Atlanta Hawks Thursday and again on Saturday at